The Creepiest Financial Scams of 2012

A company claims it will pay you hundreds of dollars a week to put its advertisement on your car. You deposit a check and wire funds to a “graphic designer” who will make the ad. But you never get the ad — or your money — back.

A loan scam that threatens “consumers” with lawsuits for not paying back loans they never requested.

A message via social media from a follower claiming a link or website contains an embarrassing or comprising photo of you.

Thousands of Americans fell victims to financial scams last year, many of them Internet-based. The Better Business Bureau recommends consumers vet the companies that make random claims, ask you to deposit funds from your account to another, or asks you to divulge personal information. It also recommends that consumers refrain from clicking on awkward and ambiguous links because it of the risk it poses to confidential information on your computer.